Just days out from our Metal Slug 3 review, Matt Farrell has written up this extensive Radiant Silvergun review. What can I say? Well, as they say here in Korea... AHSAA! I'm really proud of these reviews ( excellent work fellas ) and I'm honoured that I can give their fine work a suitable home here at AUTOFiRE.7 - not to mention these guys ( Matt and John ) have joined on as 'staffers' for AF7. Which can only mean good things in future ( already talks about forums / developer interviews etc ). Everybody welcome them to the team! Look out for more content coming soon : )

Question: Would the original 2D Megaman series be considered as shoot 'em ups'? My initial reaction was "no way, they are platform games" but I'm not so sure. Gunstar Heroes has alot of platforms, and so do Metal Slug games, but we all consider those games shoot 'em ups of some sort - right? What about Megaman 1, 2, 3 etc.. ?

At last, a brilliant review for the exceptional Metal Slug 3 has been uploaded to the reviews section - which also marks our first Xbox review too. Another fine contribution to a growing website. Many thanks to John Schmidt for this.

Please submit your own shoot 'em up reviews!
Whether it be an obscure Japanese only Famicom side-scrolling run n' gun game that you want the world to know about, or the latest popular cutting-edge shmup, fire your review over here and it will gladly be accepted. Provided it is intelligently written and well structured ofcourse ^_^. AUTOFiRE is focused on "shoot 'em ups", which infact covers a broad spectrum of gaming from traditional shmups such as R-Type / Raiden right through to Starfox, Mercs, Contra, Space Harrier, Smash TV, Galaga and so on ( First Person Shooters not included ) ... You could even write a mini-review a web-based flash game! There will be little argument here over what is and isn't a shoot 'em up, so please help out : )

Contact me here. Thanks!

I've just received word that another ( extremely awesome ) person wishes to submit a review. This time of Metal Slug 3 for Xbox. I'm very excited about this as the Metal Slug series is beyond coolness. So look out for that one in the next few days. Might be time to go for a real domain name and hosting, yeah? Any ideas on a decent / well-priced domain provider?

A huge thankyou to Joseph Burchell. From out of the blue I received an email from him and he was willing to submit a review of Siplheed - The Lost Planet for the AUTOFiRE.7 reviews section. What a champ! I am now considering taking him on as a fellow staff member. Which means more content ( and newfound enthusiasm on my part too ). If things start growing from here then I will definitely go for a '.com' domain name. Thanks Joe!

If anyone else wants to submit a review, fire away at jaelurman@yahoo.com.

"What's been happening in the world of SHMUPS recently? Find out in today's Autofire.7 news update". Excuse the cheesey intro, let's get to it shall we...

/ / GRADIUS V
After another very positive showing at the recent E3 in Los Angeles, Treasure / Konami's return of the Gradius legacy looks to be monumental at the very least. Konami have since revealed a brief music demo, available for download here. There's also some official desktop wallpapers here. A Japanese OST (original sound track) will follow shortly after the game's release. Most larger videogame websites have impressions, previews and new video downloads available - We'll let you search those out yourselves. Meanwhile I did find a great site with some overall information like release dates, boxart, screenshots and even concept artwork of the Vic Viper itself - check it out here. Preordering the game in Japan also earns you a sweetly named Options bonus book detailing the history of the Vic Viper craft. The game's release could no come any sooner. On the run 'n gun front, Konami's Neo Contra also looks rather wicked .

/ / SHIKIGAMI NO SHIRO 2
To the disappointment of many shooter enthusiasts, budgetware publishers XS Games have confirmed a North-American release of Alfa System's excellent Shikigami no Shiro 2. Some may remember that XS Games were responsible for the horrid westernised ports of Gunbird and the original Shikigami confusingly known as Mobile Light Force 1 and 2 respectively. However, very little respect was shown to the original Japanese versions and it seems that a somewhat simple Japanese - English translation turned into a butcher's nightmare. XS Games lists the release date as early August only for the profitable Playstation 2 system. Certain admirable people have already used the XSGames web-forums to express their concerns over the announcement. Check it out here. - let's hope that XS have the dilligence and hindsight to do things right this time...

In other news, I found a nifty official website for the Shikigami no Shiro 2 - Appreciate DVD. To round off the complete set is, ofcourse, the official soundtrack.

/ / CHAOS FIELD
Milestone / Able Corp's brand new NAOMI based arcade shooter Chaos Field is shaping up very nicely - as demonstrated in this recent movie. Those who were wishing for a Dreamcast port, check this out. You can also check out some screenies here.

/ / ESPGALUDA
There's little new information to report on Cave's ESPgaluda other than it's PS2 release is highly anticipated by us all. After being delayed from it's original May 27 release, the new date is June 24 in Japan - to be published by Arika. If you haven't already, check out some videos or the breakdown of level 5.2. Oh, and while you're at it check out this awesome artwork.

/ / PSIKYO COLLECTION - VOLUME 1
Due out in Japan on July 22, this compilation of Strikers 1945 I & II for the PS2 could be a nice compliment for one of the greatest SHMUP series ever. On second thoughts, the games have already been available individually on the PSone ( and therefore PS2 ) for quite some time - so there are hopes that this won't just be another publisher cashing in on Psikyo's treasure chest - such as the recent Gunbird 1 & 2 compilation from Atlus. It is quite disappointing that S1945 II+ or III are not included in the first volume - Although future volumes might be promising. Perhaps Taito will include some extra features for those of us that already have the games to make a worthy investment. We'll keep you updated on any further developments regarding this disc - we still don't even know what the boxart will look like.

/ / STEEL DRAGON EX
Another month, another western budgetware release of a Japanese game. This time it seems Midas Interactive are gearing up for a PS2 PAL release of Double Shienryu, now known as Steel Dragon EX. It actually looks like Midas may do a fine job - remembering the original Japanese version was already 99% English friendly - so it shouldn't be terribly difficult to port. Even the boxart doesn't look too bad, considering. The game will be released in Europe on October 29 for just under 15 Euros.

/ / CERULEAN DREAMS
The previously announced Gameboy Advance SHMUP Cerulean Dreams from MezCo Studios is now making its way over to Nintendo DS hardware. No screenshots yet, although this official report seems to show promise in using some of the DS' unique capabilities.

/ / MISC
Megahouse Corporation are releasing some new durable PVC toy models of Namco's earlier big-hitters in Japan next month, including the coolish Xevious one pictured above.

Source: various

I have uploaded a new review of an experimental freeware SHMUP for the PC entitled Warning Forever. Check out the review and *PLEASE* download the game. Warning Forever gets the Autofire.7 two thumbs up, way up!

The Japanese release of Steel Empire / Koutetsu Teikoku is just a few days away! Steel Empire - to be released on April 30 for 4,800 yen - will be a Gameboy Advance remake of the unique Megadrive / Genesis steampunk ( ala Progear ) styled shooter that was originally released in 1992. The original game wasn't exactly an outstanding achievement and suffered from slowdown in places. Hopefully these issues have now been fully improved and perhaps more enhancements will be evident in the final product. Digging through the official website, we have uncovered some pics for your viewing pleasure. There is also a small Flash clip which exlpains the premise of the story ( in English ) and shows gameplay footage from the original Genesis version.

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Source: Star*Fish (JP)

AF7 recently spoke with Charles Galyon of NeoPong Software Inc. about their upcoming Game Boy Advance shooter World Reborn. What features can we expect to see in World Reborn? What classic SHMUPS inspired them? These and other interesting questions fully answered! Check out our indepth interview.

A brand new review for Nintendo's first and only SHMUP ever created, SolarStriker for the original brick Game Boy, has been added. There's no reason why you shouldn't dig this cartridge out of that dusty old box in the bottom of your wardrobe and enjoy it on the GBA SP or GameCube through the GB Player! It should also be found rather cheaply in barigain bins the world over.

In other news, an interview with NeoPong Software regarding their upcomming GBA title World Reborn ( see below ) will be uploaded soon enough. I will probably build a new page to house features / interviews / editorials and the likes. Suggestions welcome, please!

After the promising first trailer, NeoPong Software have responded to requests to showcase more gameplay centric material from their original horizontal shooter for the Game Boy Advance cleverly titled World Reborn. Publishing rights were picked up by DSI, who have just recently released a GBA port of R-Type III from the SFC / SNES. As you can see here, the game looks to make impressive use of the GBA's capabilities. It'll be an all new title with several interesting features including a branching storyline complete with map screen & path selection, an RPG-style level up system, multiple ships and several characters to combine to suit your playing style. It would be a shame if it didn't record highscores to battery backup though - as only a password function has been mentioned thus far. Oh well, you can also check out some extra screens or further information here. The GBA is severely lacking in SHMUPness, so this is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Source: Destination Software Inc.

I've completed and uploaded a brand new review of Psyvariar - Complete Edition for the PS2. The game has recently received a European PAL release at a budget price point and is well worth your time. Please read on...

A few other things have changed / are changing on the site and there should be continued graphic and content additions in coming weeks. Stay tuned, folks!

A fella named Brian is producing his own hand screenprinted Ikaruga shirts! As you can see here, they contain the infamous 'No Refuge' boss warning message and a silhouette of the game's main craft among other spiffy design elements. Apparently he will have it available in various colours and sizes ( by request ) - for quite a hefty sum might I add. There is no notable Ikaruga logo to be found, so you'll get alot of strange looks, even from fellow video game fans! Still... If enough interest is shown, Brian is already considering a series of Japanese hardcore videogame developer logos. Hands up for a PSIKYO or Cave shirt?

Source: Insert Credit

AUTOFiRE.7 is now open for business. BUT I NEED YOUR HELP ! As you can see a lot of work needs to be done to turn this website into a thriving base for SHMUP fans. Please feel free to contribute. Articles, reviews ( especially ), pics, links, suggestions or any SHMUP related materials are all welcome! Drop me a line at jaelurman@yahoo.com \ \